I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"But that might upset the patient."

Dr. Hao hesitated.

Because mental illness can sometimes be contagious.

It's not a viral infection or anything like that, but rather something like meme transmission in science fiction. Sometimes a patient with a self-consistent fictional worldview will tell their delusions to other patients, and some patients with milder symptoms will become infected and their symptoms will worsen.

Therefore, patients with mild symptoms should generally be separated from those with severe symptoms, and patients with different diseases should also be separated, otherwise these people may worsen if they stay together.

It is said that there was once a seriously ill patient in a mental hospital who even persuaded the doctors and nurses, and eventually led a group of people to escape from prison.

If Lu Ban were to mingle with these patients, their symptoms might become even more severe!

"It's okay, Dr. Hao. I'm a professional actor. They definitely won't be able to tell that I'm not actually a patient."

Lu Ban patted his chest.

"..."

You don't even need to act, you're already mentally ill!

Dr. Hao's mind was racing.

It seems that persuasion is not an option; the only thing to do is to minimize Lu Ban's influence on some people.

Dr. Hao called over a nurse and whispered a few words of advice to her.

"Xiao Tao, take Director Lu Ban to the recreation room. Before you go, find him a hospital gown and keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't hurt the other patients."

"Keep an eye on him?"

The nurse was a young girl, and she was somewhat puzzled when she heard what Dr. Hao said.

What is the purpose of changing into a hospital gown?

Generally speaking, shouldn't we be preventing patients from harming visitors?

With a puzzled look in her eyes, she approached Lu Ban, looked at the tall, handsome director, fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, and said in a slightly soft voice.

"Hello, I'll show you around the ward."

Chapter 248 You also sneaked in here by accident?

Lu Ban followed the petite nurse to the rest room first.

"I...I'll get you some clothes."

The young nurse was a little shy. She glanced at Lu Ban, took small steps out of the room, and returned a while later with a hospital gown.

When Lu Ban came out after changing, the nurse handed him a bracelet.

"These are wristbands that all patients have. They have information such as their names on them. Some patients get confused and forget who they are. Yours has information on it so that medical staff can tell that you are a visitor."

Lu Ban put on the bracelet, looked at his hospital gown, and messed up his hair, looking just like a real mental patient.

"You do look quite like a patient."

The nurse smiled.

"I also added some personas to myself: severe hypochondria, paranoia, schizophrenia. Isn't that fitting?"

Lu Ban smiled brightly.

The nurse was stunned.

It wasn't because of the mental illnesses Lu Ban mentioned, but rather because many patients in the hospital laughed like that.

Sometimes, those who have lost their common sense due to mental illness are the ones who can show such genuine smiles without feeling troubled.

"My surname is Tao, and my name is Tao Tao. You can call me Xiao Tao. We are going to the recreation room next. The people here are patients with mild symptoms, such as depression, autism, or dementia."

The nurse led Lu Ban to the recreation room.

It's called a recreation room, but it's really just a ping-pong table, a sofa, a bench, and a TV.

The television was playing a not-so-funny comedy show, and no one was playing ping-pong; everyone was sitting in front of the television watching.

"These patients are all relatively quiet and don't like to interact with people."

The nurse gave Lu Ban some instructions, then led him inside, introduced him to the others, and then stood aside, letting Lu Ban do as he pleased.

The patients glanced at Lu Ban, then their attention was drawn back to the television.

Lu Ban found a seat and watched TV for a while. During a break, a young man approached him.

The young man looked to be about the same age as Lu Ban, except that his hair was rather sparse. He wore glasses and looked more like a doctor than a patient.

"Did you sneak in here too?"

The young man asked.

Lu Ban's heart skipped a beat. He was still wondering where his acting was lacking and that the other person had seen through him when he heard the other person continue speaking.

"It's okay, I sneaked in too."

He glanced at the nurse and then lowered his voice.

"I used to be a programmer, working 996 every day, which was really tiring. Then one day, when my boss asked me to work overtime, I couldn't take it anymore, so I gave him a piece of my mind. When I got home, my girlfriend started imitating the boxers in stand-up comedy and started boxing. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I gave her a piece of my mind and broke up with her. After I went back to my hometown, some nosy relatives would come and nag me every day about finding a girlfriend, a job, getting married, and going on blind dates. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I gave those relatives a piece of my mind. Later, my parents thought I had mental problems, so they sent me here. Actually, I'm more clear-headed than they are. I'm hiding here, not having to work overtime, and no one is pressuring me to go on blind dates. It's so great!"

He spoke vividly, his eyes gleaming with excitement and exhilaration.

"Amazing!"

Lu Ban suddenly felt that his idea was actually quite good. Living in a mental hospital, undisturbed by the outside world, would bring peace and quiet, which would be very pleasant.

"Patient No. 301, it's time to take your medicine."

At that moment, another nurse walked in, holding a notepad and shouting.

"Hey."

The young man next to Lu Ban responded and then whispered to Lu Ban.

"I'll go deal with those nurses first, you can watch later."

With that, the young man followed the nurse out of the ward.

A few minutes later, the young man returned and sat down next to Lu Ban, intently watching television.

"Hey, you still haven't told me your name?"

Lu Ban patted him on the shoulder and asked.

But the young man looked at Lu Ban with a suspicious expression, his eyes full of confusion.

Do we know each other?

"?"

Lu Ban was taken aback, then spoke.

"Didn't you say you were faking it?"

"Pretending? Hmm? You actually noticed?"

The young man leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Let me tell you, I'm actually an alien from Betelgeuse, here to investigate humanity. I don't think you're from this planet either. We should get along well and help each other. Those people in white are terrifying and vicious; be careful."

He turned around and mentioned another setting.

Lu Ban was unsure which one was the truth.

After speaking with the young man, another patient patted Lu Ban on the shoulder.

"Did he just talk to you about aliens or the 996 work schedule?"

The patient was a middle-aged woman who looked kind and gentle, and did not appear to be ill.

"Correct."

Lu Ban nodded obediently.

"Sigh, he was originally a writer, I think he wrote something about the internet, but his results were always bad. He was always frowning and couldn't come up with a good story no matter how hard he tried. Then, somehow, one of his books suddenly became popular. But looking at his results, he felt that the world was not real, and that's how he became like this. What he told you were all settings he had written before."

The woman explained patiently.

"I see."

Creators really work hard, Lu Ban couldn't help but sigh.

"Then you?"

Lu Ban then looked at the woman.

"Me? Well, there's nothing wrong with me, I just can't sleep well, I have insomnia and anxiety. The doctor told me to rest here and it's nothing serious."

The middle-aged woman laughed.

"That's fine too."

Lu Ban wholeheartedly agreed.

"Actually, everyone is fine, they just can't quite grasp the situation. The real problem is with society, sigh."

The middle-aged woman sighed.

After the skit on TV finished airing, many patients stood up. Two patients went to the ping-pong table to play, while others continued to sit on the sofa to watch the follow-up commercials. Still others stood up to take their medicine.

Lu Ban thought for a moment, preparing to visit one more person before leaving, but the middle-aged woman suddenly grabbed his hand tightly.

"where are you going?"

The middle-aged woman looked somewhat flustered.

"Just take a walk, wander around."

Lu Ban found it a bit strange.

The middle-aged woman hesitated, then followed behind Lu Ban, watching him approach the nurse.

She looked at Lu Ban, then at the nurse, and after a long while, she finally spoke.

"Son, you must treat them well. If you need anything at home, just tell me, understand?"

"Okay, Mom."